Introduction:

Good governance is a socially acceptable language widely used at present. Generally speaking, good governance means, a clean and impartial system adopted by the government for ensuring fundamental rights, justice and human rights to every citizen of the country, including those below the social strata. Voice of the humdrum finds reflection in the general administration. At the forefront of the philosophy of good governance are the World Bank and the UNO which propagate the rights of the common man and the voice of the neglected as the key to effective governance.

Effective governance, now-a-days, is identified with RTI utilized as a medium for eradication of corruption under the establishment of transparency turning the government accountable to the people at large. E-governance is being insisted upon and facilitated in the society as never before which makes the full use of available technology as a tool for the benefit of mankind. E-governance has become a catch word worldwide, making the administration think to work for its people and to care for the need for one and all. Though many countries have discarded the coaching system needed for the success of the e-governance, a few countries adopt it with the letter and spirit.

E-governance technologies:

The countries acting against this are generally apprehensive about the government confidentiality and use in various sensitive areas as in electronic voting machines (EVMs). Resultantly, e-governance has not been able to spread its wing in full and square, but is limited to the planning and performance information of the government as well as the prevalent set of rules, governing the management and performance of different government portfolios.
The government is keen on collecting the opinion and the advice of the general public in various matters of state governance by the judicious use of e-governance technologies. This has enabled the government to reach out to people in a very direct manner to solve their problems as much as it is capable of accomplishing.

However, it is a matter of regret that in our democratic set up. The right to information has not been working as it is expected to be; rather the outcome visible is clearly antithetical in a number of cases. The earliest generations’ defective EVMs are still in use in the conduct of elections in India. The source of the software and its code is being kept secret. The hardware used in these machines is easy to manipulate which the experts of the technologies have given perspective. It is a prevalent opinion from all corners of Indian voters in the last election that the machines or the software or hardware used therein were all defective.

EVMs showed different results than they hoped for:

The manner in which one area or set of people who voted for reflected otherwise in results declared later. This is the perspective of the general public, the scientists, the lawyers and villagers living in far off localities that the EVMs showed different results than they hoped for. Questions of apprehensions of heavy scale manipulations were raised every here and there making the EVM system of voting in elections susceptible. Though such huge manipulations are seen and reported during the last general election, it is surprising that no political party or political leader is raising a genuine voice questioning the system of EVMs replaceable by paper votes or both systems being used together as a mark of transparency.

E-governance needs to be properly implemented from the top and from the planning level coming down to the level of the ordinary man as we see the system in use in various countries. Our planning and legislative system have not used e-governance so far as a result of which the transparency and the competence expected in the field of implementation are grossly lacking. Our planning and implementation of various schemes are very often found to be defective and the people are rendered helpless due to e-governance not being in place.

E-governance and RTI:

Satisfactory results will only come and timely measures are only possible with the introduction and implementation of e-governance. Government websites should show what it thinks the society and in what manner and extent it is going to implement among other measures. This is the very essence of the Right to Information (RTI). Indian citizens will only feel that they were called onto participate in government selections during elections only. However, no government in India is a participatory government. Neither has it took into account the opinions of its people. Nor it leads its people know of the measures it is implementing.

Everything can be done in a very orderly and transparent manner with technology pervading the whole of the country.  But what are lacking here are the will power and the transparency of the administration in implementing e-governance. All political parties rely on technology for their party’s statistical information and voting patterns being followed and adopted. But no party seems to be concerned about the people in the society at large. This has compounded the problem.

During the last general election, leaders of many political parties and the party administrators were seen greeting people and begging for votes through messages and voice mails in mobile phones, collecting the mobile numbers of voters in the most illegal manner without the mobile owners, themselves knowing of it.

Social media with mobile as a medium:

Anna’s Lokpal movement has opened the flood gate for profuse use of mobile messages and voice mails for reaching out to the common people. People in the higher strata of society, students and the youths of the country use computers, internets, fake books and twitters as social media which have now been targeted by political people for their organizational and agitation goals.

Medias and various mediums have lifted many leaders to the stature of greatness and glorification. By the by, all state and central government is now beginning to distribute free models and laptops among people with a keen eye on 2012 general elections. Social media with mobile as a medium is good for the people if it is widely used in a very transparent manner as a tool of information to know what it is happening in what corner of the country and what it is going to be done by the government and what place.

Conclusion:

Nevertheless, no government is concerned with the problems of the people as the mobiles are not going to be used to know of their wants and troubles but to send and receive messages and voice mails needed to tide over the ensuing elections. The use of technology in each and every fabric of society is not bad; rather it is excellent and the need of the day because of information reaches very fast. Conversely, what the technology in India being used by the government and the political parties is only for their political gains which have little relevance for the people everywhere.

Couple of politicians have recently stated that in Mumbai one can eat a full meal in Rs 12 and in Delhi for as low as Rs 5. While it is laughable, it also shows how disconnected our leaders are from the reality. My thoughts went to my college days. Whenever I used to come home during the holidays I used to have interesting dialogues  with my maternal grandfather who was staying with us. However there was one statement of his which I used to find difficult to believe and today I feel sorry but used to get a bit irritated also.

He would often state that things have become very costly and then narrate how on his starting salary of Rs 5 per month he would also save a few annas.( Rs 1 was equal to sixteen annas). He had started his career in state government service in the early 1920's and retired by the early 1950's. He would then tell me how in four annas one could buy around a maund or app 20 kgs of rice and so on. In the late 1960's it all sounded so unbelievable to me. I used to smoke those days and a cigarette packet cost me around sixty paise. However I rarely contested him but respectfully heard him.

Soon I stared working, got married and started going to buy provisions in the market in the mid 1970's. I remember a 15 kg groundnut oil tin costing around sixty rupees to seventy five rupees. Dairy milk cost Rs 2 a liter. Meat used to cost Rs 10 to 12 a kilo. Petrol cost Rs 5 a liter.  I remember in 1969, I purchased petrol for putting in my scooter at ninety paise per liter and the world economies were shattered when in 1973 or 1974 the price of petrol was dramatically raised by the OPEc and petrol price in India was raised to Rs 4 point something per liter. The first class fare from my city to Mumbai was Rs 75 in 1975. One could go to a good movie theater and buy a balcony ticket for Rs 4 or 5 per person. Coca Cola in 1965 was purchased by me for the first time for thirty paise per 200 ml bottle. Also good sumptuous  masala dosa was available for 30 to 50 paise in 1965. I visited Chennai for the first time in late 1975 and was delighted to eat five idlis for only fifty paise. During my engineering college days for all the five years a plate of samosas liberally sprinkled with curd, chutney and mashed potato chips was available at fifty paise. Hot onion uttapams cost only fifty paise each.

One can go on and on. The prices then look ridiculously low when compared with today's prices. I distinctly remember eating my unlimited vegetarian dinner thalis at Rs 10 in mid 1970's. A couple of rupees more if one wanted to eat a non-veg thali.

So on what basis have these so called leaders stated that in India of 2013 one could eat a meal in five or twelve rupees that too in metro cities like Delhi or Mumbai.  It not only shows how poor is their knowledge of the markets which are frequented by the vast majority of our population but also shows their insensitivity towards the poor. As someone caustically pointed out that they actually meant not rupees but dollars as that is the currency they are far more familiar with !

However as far as I am concerned I have now taken the place of my grandfather and my sons are behaving exactly the way I used to. The moment I go back in time and start saying that the price was so and so and see where it is today, my sons start telling me-- Papa not again. My thoughts go back in time and I realize the world has moved on. However for many of our politicians it seems only they have moved on and the rest are still stuck fifty years in the past.

The cloudburst in Uttrakhand has led to daily outbursts at each other by the representatives of the two national parties on TV channel debates on the unfortunate tragedy. That a state has faced devastation of gigantic proportions leading to immense losses and needed words of comfort and support was of no concern to these so called national parties. They were only interested in scoring debating points against each other.

It all started when the PM in waiting visited the hapless state. He did so after the PM and President of Congress had an aerial survey of the affected areas and announced a Rs 1000+ crore relief. How could the CM wanting to be PM remain behind. It is normally not expected that CM's of other states visit, that too within a day or two of tragedy striking a state. It amounts to interfering in the affairs of another state.

What followed was almost both a tragedy and  comedy. It was claimed that more than 15,000 tourists of his state had been rescued during his one day visit. This acted as a trigger to forces opposed to him and his party. The TV anchors were waiting for such an opportunity. Daily in almost all news channels the representatives of both the national parties were pitted against each other by the smart anchors. 

While Uttarakhand was tackling the tragedy and the valiant defence personnel were evacuating the stranded tourists and others from the affected areas to safety, the politicians were outshouting each other debating earth shaking but otherwise mundane issues, whether it was proper for the CM who wants to become the PM to visit the state or about the whereabouts of the other PM in waiting or the statement of the Home Minister, that VIP's should not visit the state. The tu tu mein mein went from bad to worse every progressing day and many a time as a viewer I felt like hitting my forehead as to how low can politicians stoop just to score a debating point.

The defence personnel were the real saviours of more than a lakh affected people. It is already being stated to be the largest airlifting of disaster affected survivors in the world. They were the real heroes. But they received very little attention in the media. Occasionally during the useless debates someone would draw attention to them and for a moment the politicians would pay lip service and immediately jump to berating the opponent.

Why has the political discourse in the country become so bad that it is now becoming worse every passing day? Why is there no tolerance for each other's opinion between the major political parties? Why is there no self constraint even during natural calamities? Why has humility gone out of the system?

It seems the service aspect has been discarded by the politicians. They look upon themselves as arm chair corporate style managers. They now manage elections. They manage funds. They manage positions and favours. They manage self enrichment. They manage career of their sons and daughters. They all the time are busy managing and in the process they have lost touch with the very voters who have elected them to assemblies and the parliament. Because they have learnt the skills of managing everything to their advantage they start believing that they do not require the voters. Because they will manage their reelection also.

That the national parties are in power in a handful of states does not seem to motivate them to return to grassroots and regain the faith of larger number of voters. It is too small an activity now and below the dignity of most of the politicians to move in the 'fields and streets'and come in contact with the common persons. More than one third of the elected politicians hail from political dynasties and do not need the grassroot support as their family power and connections will get them the tickets fin the next elections. So where is the need for gaining the confidence of the ordinary citizen. Everything will be managed.

Therefore politics is today seen by most of the politicians as a corporate activity. Corporations have to be always in profit. Losses cannot be tolerated. Corporate wars have to be fought to retain hold on the markets. Minds of the people have to be conditioned to one's product's qualities. Power is everything. Service is secondary.This leads to giving not an inch to another's viewpoint. Tolerance is seen as a sign of weakness. One has to look and appear tough. The other's viewpoint has to be demolished at any cost. Iif in the process one has to stoop low and resort to lies and more lies it is an acceptable behaviour. Agencies have to be employed at public expenditure to propagate one's viewpoint.

It is therefore not at all surprising that while Uttarakhand was suffering the politicians were busy protecting their turf at any cost. The selfless service of the defence personnel was incidental. 

(Pictures fron wikipedia)

Indian democracy has a dubious achievement to its credit. It is responsible for the creation of an estimated 500 political dynasties in the country. Ever since 1947 which  saw India becoming independent but today we are heavily dependent on these families for our political management. The hold they have on the government and opposition is very strong. It is now not easy for a non political family person to make a dent in politics unless he happens to be someone of the class of Narendra Modi. And how many Modis can the system throw up?

In almost all states of Iindia there are multiple political dynasties ruling the roost. In many cases they have now gone into third generation. The premier first family of the country is now in its sixth generation and fortunately is an exception. Perhaps barring the Communist parties, these dynasties are to be found in all other political parties. The number depends on the age and ability to come to power of the party.

We thus have the third generation young scion as the Chief Minister in J&K, the second generation as CM in Orissa and the father-son combine in Punjab. A few years ago a CM of Bihar when he had to resign due to corruption charges coolly installed his wife as the next CM. A few days back, he held a grand meeting in Patna to induct his young sons into politics. A powerful Minister in the Central cabinet has his daughter and nephew taking care of his interest in his native State, large parts of which are suffering from famine. In the State of Haryana, political families keep mushrooming at regular intervals and a father and son combine has gone to jail also as a family on corruption charges. Down South we are all aware of a large political family which was recently voted out of power by the party led by a spinster. This family has a role for all its sons ,daughters and nephews. Most of them are allegedly involved in one or other corruption case. In UP the father made way for his inexperienced son to become the CM with results all of us see everyday. In Mumbai there is a political family which anointed its very young third generation into politics with the blessings of the grandfather who passed away a few months ago. In the central cabinet a Minister agreed to resign on the condition that his son, a Lok Sabha MP from Mumbai, is inducted into the cabinet,which was done.

One of the biggest drawbacks of this culture is that the family politician does not have to prove his worth as his seat is assured. So most of them start minting money and pedaling influence. They are not bothered about their reputation because the family will take care of that. Also they bank on the fact that public memory is short and it has no choice.

The Congress has the largest number of political families, which is to be expected because it has been in power for nearly 56 of the 66 years  India has been free. It is estimated that in the present Parliament nearly 33 % of the members are from political families. The percentage could be more in the  state assemblies. In future these numbers are bound to go up as it is going to become more and more difficult for others to either get tickets and if they do to arrange for the vast monetary funds  required to finance the elections. Increasingly outsiders are going to be shut out of India's political process. The country will be dominated by a cobweb and network of mutually inclusive political families that keep becoming political dynasties.

This is a going to harm Indian democracy. First of all it will no longer be a democracy in its true meaning. Grass root workers cannot aspire to higher positions in the various political parties. Inbreeding of political leaders from only select families will bar meritorious and new thoughts from coming into the nation's political arena. The political battles will be more between individuals and families rather than ideologies. The number of genuine grass root political workers will go down considerably and this will encourage the entry of sycophants who'll work to enrich themselves. The politicians in power will be in a cocoon and will feel so protected that they will resort to making money without fear of exposure. It suits them that elections are costly to fight as it ensures outsiders from entering into the system. Before independence India was ruled by hundreds of big and small kings, today we are electing democratic"kings" in hundreds to rule us.

Why has such state of affairs developed? It is indeed comical to listen to many of the second and third generation politicians say in talk shows that the only favour they have received is that they could get  ticket to fight the elections easily because of the family connection. But after that it is their hard work which gets them elected again and again. Nothing could be far from the truth. Imagine that of the 570 odd Lok Sabha seats nearly 33% ie around 200 seats have gone to these family connections. It is also estimated that these family members on an average enter politics 10 years before non family members do. Thus they get another undue advantage over others. It is also well known how the assets and other forms of wealth of most of the politicians multiplies after they get elected and thus they are able to finance their election campaign in a huge way, which others can't do.

Why do the people of India vote the scions of these families repeatedly and also across generations. It is because most of tye time people are voting for parties and have no choice in the selection of candidates. Also they seem to choose a known devil over an unknown devil. Also the smart political patriarchs have formed alliances with significant section of voters on basis of caste and other considerations. All this and other local and specific considerations go to ensure that political dynasties are perpetuated.

This phenomenon is not unique to India. In fact many Asian countries are afflicted with it. Nearly three hundred years ago Britain was in the vice of such political families. In USA also there are a few political families like the Kennedy, Bush and now Clintons. But they are very few in numbers unlike India. It is expected that with the maturing of the democratic process, the exertion of the grass root workers and the creation of awareness by NGO's gradually the influence of political families will go down in India also. Also there should be a time limit for holding the MP/MLA and CM/PM post without any extension whatsoever.

In the end it is the voters who have to decide whether they want to be ruled by meritorious politicians or scions of political dynasties thrust upon them.